Hamburg-based ECE Projektmanagement and Austria's SES Spar European Shopping Centers are partnering in a new joint venture to develop and manage shopping centres in Italy. Both companies have an equal share in the new partnership, SES-ECE-Management, which is based in Salzburg and will be led by SES' President Marcus Wild and ECE's Deputy CEO Gerhard Dunstheimer.

The Austrian Spar Group with its subsidiary Despar has been a leading food retailer in Northern Italy for several years. SES already manages the two shopping centres, Ipercity and Le Brentelle in Padua.

'I am sure that we can realize a rapid expansion together,' said Wild. 'ECE's international network and the strength of both companies on the tenant market as well as our local competence in Italy complement each other excellently.'

Salzburg-based SES Spar European Shopping Centers is a developer, creator and operator of large-scale retail real estate, with operations in Austria, Slovenia, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Northern Italy. The rentable area of the 23 SES-operated shopping centres amounts to 620,000 m2.

Hamburg-based ECE is active in 13 European countries with 114 managed shopping centres. Another 21 shopping centres are currently under construction or planned throughout Europe, among them the Saar-Galerie in Saarbrücken, Forum Mittelrhein in Koblenz, Thier-Galerie in Dortmund, Skyline Plaza in Frankfurt as well as shopping centres in Budapest, Sofia and Istanbul.